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CLASSROOM  PRACTICE  IN  DESIGN 

JAMES   PARTON  HANEY 


THE  MANUAL  ARTS  PRESS 

FEORIA,   ILLINOIS 


I  nl'VRIGHT. 
JAMES  P.   H 


CLASSROOM  PRACTICE  IN  DESIGN 

JAMES   PARTON    HANEY 

NY  discussion  of  classroom  practice  in  applied  design  nat- 
urally divides  itself  into  a  consideration  of  the  problems 
to  be  solved  and  the  methods  to  be  employed  in  solving 
them.  The  sequence  of  problems  constitutes  what  is 
familiarly  known  as  the  course  of  study,  and  to  the  prin- 
ciples which  underlie  such  a  'course'  attention  must  first  be  directed. 
These  principles  may  be  stated  as  follows  :  (i)  The  designs  made  must 
be  for  use.  (2)  The  forms  decorated  must  admit  decoration.  (3)  The 
designs  must  be  based  on  structure.  (4)  Their  treatment  must  be  con- 
ditioned by  material.  (5)  They  must  permit  individual  interpretation. 
(6)  Each  problem  in  the  sequence  should  develop  through  a  similar 
series  of  steps  with  increasing  complexity  in  the  relations  of  the  ele- 
ments employed. 

THE    PKSIGN    MUST    BE    FOR    USE 

All  designs  made  should  be  for  use.  This  principle  is  the  first  and 
most  important  consideration  in  the  teaching  of  applied  design  to  young 
students.  When  design  is  taught  as  a  series  of  abstract  patterns,  or 
when  problems  are  developed  which  are  not  applied,  but  remain  "paper" 
patterns,  the  work  is  taken  out  of  the  realm  of  the  real  and  becomes  a 
mere  school  exercise.  In  this  guise  it  is  robbed  of  half  its  interest,  and 
more  than  half  its  value.  Until  the  pupil  is  brought  into  contact  with 
the  form  to  be  decorated  the  real  problem  of  design  is  not  presented. 

Teachers  whose  habit  it  is  to  teach  design  through  formal  exer- 
cises are  frequently  astonished  and  discouraged  to  see  their  pupils  who 
have  been  schooled  in  abstract  principles,  work  out  for  their  own  delec- 
tation wierd  naturalistic  decorations  for  pillows,  tidies,  book-covers 
and  box-tops,  in  fancy  stitch  or  pyrographic  line.  Dismay  is  felt  that 
previous  teachings  have  made  so  little  impression,  but  the  truth  is  they 
have  not  been  teachings.  The  school  work  has  not  been  real  work. 
The  design  taught  has  not  been  seen  by  the  pupil  as  a  real  design,  but 
only  as  school  design  to  be  done  and  laid  aside  without  a  thought, 
when  one  conies  to  decorate  something  one  really  wishes  to  be  "  fine  " 
or  "  pretty.  " 


2065676 


The  moral  of  this  is  evident.  Design  is  an  agent  chiefly  of  value 
for  the  teaching  of  taste,  and  taste  is  not  to  be  taught  as  an  abstraction. 
It  must  be  developed  as  a  power  to  discriminate  between  things  good 
and  bad,  as  they  surround  us  in  our  daily  life.  The  lessons  through 
which  it  is  taught  must  be  lessons  dealing  with  concrete  models,  and  the 
decorations  made,  must  be  seen  as  essential  to  the  success  of  the  forms 
decorated. 

Some  teachers  object  to  this  approach  because  they  feel  that  so  few 
designs  may  be  made  for  actual  application  that  their  work,  if  limited  to 
these,  would  be  hampered  and  restricted.  Such  would  prefer  to  have 
the  whole  field  of  the  Arts — cabinet-making,  iron-smithing,  textile  weav- 
ing, and  the  like — in  which  to  roam  with  their  tyros.  This  objection  is 
short-sighted.  Any  careful  scrutiny  of  classroom  conveniences,  of  forms 
made  in  school  workshops,  or  commonly  devised  for  gifts  at  holiday- 
time,  will  soon  convince  one  that  in  these  objects  there  is  opportunity  to 
teach  the  principles  of  design,  in  problems  much  more  significant  to  the 
child  than  cabinets,  gates,  weaves,  and  wall  papers,  never  to  be  de- 
veloped further  than  the  paper  on  which  they  are  drawn. 

To  make  the  teaching  of  design  live  teaching,  it  must  rise  from  life. 
The  course  of  study  should  condition  the  difficulty  of  each  pattern,  but 
necessity  should  determine  the  thing  for  which  the  pattern  is  made. 
That  thing  when  furnished  should  play  a  real  part  in  the  life  of  the 
maker.  School  designs,  like  designs  made  out  of  school,  should  rise 
from  necessity,  and  disappear — worn  out — in  use.  The  teacher  who  fails 
to  see  this  must  always  fail  to  secure  vitality  in  his  work.  Though 
the  finding  of  suitable  problems  may  at  times  offer  some  difficulty,  it  is 
his  very  business  to  discover  them,  and  to  lead  to  them  by  natural  paths. 

The  most  satisfactory  conditions  are  present  when  the  work  in  con- 
struction and  design  can  proceed  hand  in  hand,  the  earlier  exercises  in 
'  making  '  taking  the  form  of  useful  models  in  paper,  cardboard,  textiles, 
leather,  or  thin  metal,  and  the  later  in  wood,  in  clay  or  in  forms  of  book- 
binding. But  many  schools  have  no  course  in  constructive  work. 
Under  such  circumstances  it  will  be  necessary  to  develop  forms  to  be 
decorated  out  of  paper  or  cardboard.  A  number  may  be  so  made, 
as  the  program  cover,  honor  roll,  menu,  book-plate,  class  motto,  book- 
cover,  book-mark,  portfolio,  poster,  invitation  card,  decorative  shield  for 
the  school  festival,  etc.  Other  objects,  as  doilies,  mats,  curtains,  table 
covers,  etc.,  may  be  very  simply  made  of  linen,  canvas,  denim  or  other 
textile.  More  advanced  types  of  models  suitable  for  decoration  are 
shown  in  Fig.  i.  Simple  shop  work  models  suitable  for  decoration  are 


By  J.  C.  Cremins 


shown  in  Fig.  2.     Attention  is  called  to  the  very  simple  forms  of  the  de- 
signs applied  to  them. 

FORMS    DECORATED    MUST    ADMIT    DECORATION 

Not  all  constructed  forms  may  be  decorated  with  propriety.  In  gen- 
eral it  may  be  said  that  only  those  may  be  so  treated  which  themselves 
serve  a  decorative  purpose.  The  use  to  which  the  model  is  to  be  put 
controls  in  large  measure  its  decoration,  for  all  decoration  must  be  subor- 
dinate to  utility. 

Decoration  is  for  interest's  sake,  but  when  added,  it  should  serve  to 
increase  interest  legitimately,  without  making  an  exaggerated  plea  for 
attention.  The  enrichment  should  seek  to  catch  and  charm  the  eye  by 
play  of  light  and  shade  of  color,  by  harmonious  masses  and  quaint  con- 
ceits of  pattern.  The  form  decorated  must  not  war  with  its  surroundings. 
The  paper-knife  which  is  to  lie  upon  the  drawing  room  table  may  have 
its  handle  carved  or  inlaid,  while  the  handle  of  the  kitchen  knife  should 
be  devoid  of  ornament,  that  it  might  be  readily  cleansed.  The  kitchen 
box  to  hold  salt  or  spices  should  be  of  the  plainest  description,  while 
the  library  rack  to  hold  paper  may,  in  keeping  with  its  surroundings,  be 
soberly  enriched. 

Included  in  the  list  of  forms  which  may  be  properly  decorated  under 
the  conditions  stated  above,  are  various  shapes  and  sizes  of  posters, 
mottoes,  cards,  covers,  doilies,  bags,  pillows,  books,  portfolios,  cas^s. 
boxes,  racks,  brackets,  frames,  trays,  stands,  etc.  Some  of  these  forms 
may  be  made  of  cardboard,  some  of  textile,  some  of  wood  or  metal.  The 
box  is  a  type.  It  may  be  made  of  heavy  paper,  or  of  cardboard  covered 
with  textile,  or  of  wood  or  metal.  Its  design  may  be  a  simple  decoration 
of  lines  or  straps,  or  an  elaborate  pattern  in  repousse  or  carving.  As  it 
may  thus  be  made  to  serve  in  various  situations  as  a  basis  for  applied 
design,  so  many  of  the  other  forms  suggested  may  be  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  different  classes. 

WHEN    NOT    TO    DECORATE 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  lowly  form,  or  one  subjected  to  con- 
stant use,  to  wear  and  soil,  should  not  be  decorated.  The  following, 
sometimes  selected  by  class  teachers,  are  therefore  better  undecorated  : 
Foot-stool,  knife-box,  flower-stick,  string-winder,  key-tag,  etc.  The 
question  as  to  the  part  it  is  to  play — its  use  or  function — is  the  one 
determining  whether  a  form  is  to  be  decorated  or  not.  The  object  whose 
function  it  is  to  be  interesting  and  attractive  may  have  such  interest  en- 


BOOK    RACK. 


IttK   JTA/1D 


BOOK.  RACK 


BOX 


TABOURET 


J5TATOAER.Y  HOLDER. 


&RACKET 


BOX 


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CA6IDET 


PLATE     RACK 


PLATB     RACK 


hanced  by  applied  pattern  ;  that  which  plays  the  part  of  a  drudge,  one 
soiled  by  constant  handling  may,  indeed,  should  be  good  in  its  propor- 
tions, but  unadorned  by  fret  or  arabesque. 

THE    EXTENT    OF    DECORATION 

Over  decoration  is  more  to  be  feared  than  under  decoration.  There 
should  be  a  reserve  in  every  applied  design.  It  should  not  make  an  in- 
sistent call  for  attention  by  huge  growths,  eye-wearying  interlaces,  or  a 
twinkling  chequer  of  lights  and  darks.  There  is  a  beauty  in  quiet  spaces. 
The  effort  should  be  to  secure  the  minimum  of  pattern  which  will  suffice 
to  make  the  form  interesting  and  save  it  from  the  charge  of  being 
'•  empty.  " 

There  need  be  little  fear  of  making  a  design  "  too  simple :  "  the  less 
involved  it  is,  the  more  the  fine  relations  of  lines  and  spaces  stand  out. 
That  pattern  which  consists  merely  of  a  strap  or  two  emphasizing  the 
outline  of  a  square,  and  blossoming  here  and  there  into  a  flower  or  fret, 
will  tax  the  skill  of  the  best  pupils.  The  use  of  the  "  strap "  as  a 
decorative  element,  is,  by  the  way,  much  to  be  commended.  It  serves 
to  accent  edges  and  develops  equally  well  into  formal  fret  or  convention- 
alized leaf  or  flower.  Patterns  so  devised  may  be  incised,  carved,  stained, 
or  treated  with  any  special  tool.  They  are  useful  on  wood,  textile,  clay 
or  metal,  and  form  one  of  the  most  serviceable  and  appropriate  types  of 
design  which  may  be  developed  in  the  classroom. 

APPLIED    DESIGN     MUSI'    HK    CASED    ON    STRUCTURE 

The  structural  elements  of  the  form  decorated  should  always  appear 
as  the  basis  of  the  decoration.  The  design  should  be  seen  to  rise  out  of 
the  structure,  the  model  appearing  to  demand  the  decoration,  rather 
than  to  exist  merely  for  the  sake  of  being  decorated.  The  decoration 
should  serve  to  give  structural  emphasis  to  the  form  :  boundary  lines 
should  be  strengthened  by  it,  and  corners  supported.  Each  model 
should  be  carefully  considered  from  the  standpoint  of  structure,  and 
joints,  edges,  feet,  locks,  hinges — all  those  things  which  particularly 
characterize  it — should  be  examined  to  see  which  offer  the  greatest  advan- 
tages as  points  of  force,  "  start  "  or  "  growth  "  points,  from  which  the  pat- 
tern may  spring. 

It  must  be  the  effort  to  make  the  decoration  appear  as  an  intrinsic 
part  of  the  model.  The  form  itself  must  condition  the  design  and  such 
design  must  not  take  precedence  over  the  function  of  the  object.  The 
latter  must  still  declare  itself,  rack,  mat,  or  box-top.  The  design  must 


support  and  strengthen  the  idea  of  function  while  it  serves  to  create 
a  greater  interest  in  the  surface  on  which  it  is  placed. 

The  illustrations  of  this  law  are  various.  The  plan  of  a  design  for 
a  book-cover  may,  for  instance,  be  gotton  from  the  stitches  which  hold 
the  leaves  together  (Fig.  8),  that  for  a  box  from  the  edges,  feet  and  lock 
escutcheon  of  the  model  (Fig.  9).  Racks  which  stand,  may  properly 
have  the  design  rise  from  the  points  on  which  the  pressure  comes,  while 
forms  which  are  to  hang  should  have  their  pendant  quality  made  plain. 


Others  which  are  to  enclose  a  space,  as  dishes,  trays,  etc.,  may  have  this 
holding  quality  indicated,  the  pattern  aiding,  as  the  sides  of  the  form  it- 
self, to  contain  the  things  within.  The  portfolio  held  together  by  metallic 
fasteners  may  have  the  design  spring  from  such  points,  while  the  closet 
door  hung  on  hinges  may  have  the  latter  extend  into  ornamental  bands 
that  divide  the  door  into  interesting  spaces  and  call  attention  to  the  points 
which  support  the  form  itself.  (See  Fig.  4,  5,  6.) 

No  part  of  the  development  of  applied -design  calls  for  more  attention 
than  the  question  of  structure.  To  be  in  a  position  to  guide  pupils  aright, 
the  teacher  must  learn  to  see  all  forms  in  terms  of  structure,  and  must 
call  upon  his  class  to  interpret  and  reinterpret  models  in  great  variety,  in 
such  terms.  Applied  design  must,  in  its  teaching,  be  based  upon  a  power 
of  analysis,  a  power  of  dissecting  constructive  elements  and  of  support- 
ing them  with  motifs,  which  display  the  structural  excellence  of  the  model 
they  seek  to  decorate. 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  no  one  pattein  exhausts  the 
decorative  possibilities  of  any  given  form.  Constructed  forms  possess 
divers  structural  elements,  some  of  which  may  be  emphasized  by  one 


pattern,  some  by  another.  A  book-cover  may  thus  have  its  back  or  bind- 
ing quality  developed  in  one  design,  (  Fig.  8  ),  its  edges  and  corners 
strengthened  in  another,  or  the  oblong  nature  of  the  surface  treated  in  a 
variety  of  ways  in  others  still.  (Fig-  3).  Vet  all  of  these  designs  may 
be  in  perfect  structural  propriety. 


FIG.  4. 


That  pupils  may  be  led  to  appreciate  the  truth  of  the  foregoing  state- 
ment, it  is  well,  in  practice,  to  consider  various  possible  methods  of  dec- 
orating any  given  form,  basing  each  design  upon  a  different  characteristic 
of  its  function  and  structure.  It  will  also  be  of  advantage  to  require  the 
young  designers  now  and  again,  to  plan  or  sketch  without  assistance  a 
variety  of  suitable  patterns  for  some  form  they  have  not  previously  con- 
sidered. Their  designs  they  should  then  be  required  to  explain  and  de- 
fend agreeable  to  the  law  of  structure.  The  habit  of  self-criticism  thus 
developed  forms  one  of  the  best  methods  of  learning  what  makes  for 
sound  practice. 


APPLIED    DESIGNS    MUST    BE    CONDITIONED    BY    MATERIAL 

Where  the  models  decorated  differ  in  the  material  of  which  they  are 
constructed,  the  applied  patterns  must  also  differ  in  their  treatment. 
The  finer  and  smoother  the  texture  of  the  material,  the  more  delicate 
must  be  the  elements  of  the  design.  A  coarse  surface,  as  canvas  or  bur- 


Fir,.  5. 


lap,  necessitates,  a  broad  and  simple  treatment,  while  the  denser  and  more 
resistant  surface  of  metal  or  of  leather,  must  have  its  design  planned  with 
consideration  for  the  light  and  shade  produced  by  the  tooling. 

Natural  beauty  of  texture  must  not  be  destroyed  by  the  decoration. 
Applied  stains  should  thus  serve  in  the  case  of  wooden  models  to  bring 
out  the  grain  and  not  to  conceal  it.  Large  designs  and  those  which  are 
to  carry  some  distance,  as  borders  for  tableclothes,  piano  covers,  curtains, 
etc.,  will  as  a  rule  require  simple,  yet  forceful  treatment  with  masses  of 
good  size,  and  strong  connecting  lines.  (See  Fig.  22). 

So  far  as  possible,  a  course  in  applied  design  should  include  work  in 
more  than  one  material.  No  one  can  truly  be  said  to  have  a  knowledge 
of  the  subject  until  he  has  come  into  contact  with  a  variety  of  textures, 
and  has  learned  the  limitations  which  texture  enjoins  upon  pattern.  No 


design  can  be  transferred  unchanged  from  one  material  to  another;  each 
translation  must  see  a  re-adaption  made  necessary  by  the  new  material. 

PROBLEMS    MUST    PERMIT    INDIVIDUAL    INTERPRETATION 

This  principal,  it  would  seem,  might  almost  go  without  saying,  yet  a 
word  relative  to  it  may  not  be  amiss.     It  is  in  the  possibility  of  making 


FIG.  6. 


each  pattern  the  designer's  own  that  one  of  the  chief  advantages  of  the 
subject  appears.  It  is  through  failure  properly  to  govern  this  personal 
element  that  one  of  the  chief  difficulties  in  teaching  is  experienced. 

All  problems  offered  should  aim  to  present  the  elements  to  be  modi- 
fied in  very  conservative  and  carefully  considered  fashion.  •  In  the. 
earliest  exercises,  the  personal  equation  should  play  a  restricted  part. 
Only  one  or  two  lines  or  spaces  should  offer  for  modification  and  the 
solution  of  the  problem  should  turn  upon  the  treatment  of  such  line  or 
space.  As  the  pupil  progresses,  he  is  to  be  allowed  more  and  more  lati- 
tude until  he  finally  determines  the  size,  shape  and  arrangement  of  spaces 
and  their  development  into  conventionalized  forms  of  more  or  less  com- 
plexity. 


FIG.    7. 


It  is  well  to  remember  when  a  class  "  goes  to  pieces  "  in  its  efforts  to 
devise  originial  designs  that  the  chances  are  all  in  favor  of  the  real  short- 
coming being  chargeable,  not  to  the  pupils  but  to  the  teacher,  who  did 
not  sufficiently  guard  the  problem  in  its  statement,  but  permitted  so  many 
opportunities  for  individual  treatment  that  a  multiplied  series  of  errors 
became  possible.  The  problem  which  proves  too  difficult  is  one  in 
which  there  are  more  elements  than  the  teacher  can  properly  consider 
and  review  in  the  work  presented  for  criticism.  A  limited  field  for  the 
beginner  does  much  to  insure  successful  class-work. '  Illustration  of  the 
increasing  part  which  the  pupil  may  be  permitted  to  play  appears  in  the 
outline  which  follows. 

KA<  H    I'KOIil.KM  SHOULD  DEVELOP  THROUGH  A  SIMILAR  SEQUENCE  OF  STEPS 

No  very  sharp  lines  serve  to  distinguish  any  one  series  of  problems 
from  those  which  follow.  In  the  general  sequence  offered,  it  has  been  the 
effort  to  illustrate  several  groups  of  problems,  in  which  the  same  principles 
are  presented  in  designs  applied  to  a  variety  of  forms.  The  problems 
within  each  group  are  about  of  equal  difficulty.  In  developing  a  course 
of  study,  three  or  four  examples  from  each  group  should  be  offered  to  the 
pupils  before  those  of  the  succeeding  group  are  attempted. 

Especial  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  world  of  applied  design 
teems  with  examples  of  arrangements  of  masses  perfectly  suited  to  the 
purpose  of  the  elementary  teacher,  if  the  latter  but  offer  them  in  simple 
form,  without  the  involved  conventionalized  matter  of  the  originals.  One 
on  the  outlook  for  good  mass  arrangements  will  find  scores  to  supplement 
those  shown  in  Figs.  4,  5,  6  and  7,  many  requiring  little  change  to  adapt 
them  admirably  to  classroom  use. 

Group  I.  These  problems  (Fig.  4)  offer  (i  )  a  given  space  (2)  to  be 
decorated  by  a  given  unit  or  series  of  units  (3)  arranged  in  a  given  man- 
ner and  (4)  requiring  only  modification  of  the  outline  of  the  unit  or  repeat. 

The  emphasis  in  these  problems  is  to  be  placed  on  the  change  in  the 
single  side  of  the  unit,  which  may  be  cut  from  folded  paper,  unfolded  and 
traced  as  often  as  may  be  necessary.  Many  illustrations  of  good  units 
should  be  offered  to  the  pupils,  each  of  whom  should  cut  out  several  and 
choose  the  best  for  use. 

Groitfi  II.  These  problems  (Fig.  5)  offer  (i )  a  given  space  (2)  to  be 
decorated  in'a  given  manner,  (3)  requiring  in  the  simpler  problems  that 
the  mass  be  broken  up  without  modification  of  outline,  and  in  the  more 
advanced,  that  the  mass  be  individually  modified  as  to  size  and  placing, 
and  as  to  width  of  connecting  band,  if  such  is  to  be  used. 

16 


The  emphasis  in  these  problems  should  fall  on  the  development  of 
simplicity  and  strength  in  the  lines  which  break  up  the  mass.  The  prin- 
ciple of  growth  should  be  shown  to  underlie  the  good  divisions  of  masses, 
and  solutions  showing  twisted  and  uncertain  dividing  lines,  and  numerous 
and  badly  related  elements  should  be  deprecated. 


Group  III.  These  problems  (Fig.  6)  offer  (i)  a  space  whose  pro- 
portions are  to  be  determined  by  the  pupil,  (2)  the  space  to  be  decorated 
by  masses  individual  as  to  size,  outline  and  placing,  (3)  and  broken  up 
or  developed  in  minor  elements  individually  treated. 

The  effort  in  these  problems  should  be  to  secure  simplicity  and  dig- 
nity of  treatment.  In  the  case  of  each,  the  pupil's  attention  should  be 
directed  to  the  various  masses  which  contribute  to  the  design,  and  in 
criticism  of  his  own  design  he  should  be  called  upon  to  review  the  rela- 
tions of  such  masses  to  one  another,  in  the  terms  of  balance,  rhythm, 
variety  and  unity.  "  His  attention  must  also  be  strongly  drawn  to  the 
principles  of  structure.  Hitherto  the  structural  success  of  his  designs 
has  rested  upon  the  teacher,  who  offered  the  masses  ready  for  modifica- 
tion ;  now  the  pupil  must  seek  to  secure  such  structural  quality  for 
himself. 

Group  IV.  These  problems  (Fig.  7)  offer  space  similar  to  those 
in  Group  III,  to  be  decorated  by  masses  planned  in  individual  fashion 
and  developed  into  simple  conventionalized  forms. 

17 


Relations  and  structure  are  to  be  emphasized  and  efforts  made 
to  secure  subject  matter,  individual  in  treatment  and  marked  by  subtle 
rhythms  and  fine  proportions.  The  conventional  elements  will,  for  the 
most  part,  have  to  be  developed  from  charts  of  natural  forms,  and  some 
practice  in  adapting  the  natural  forms  to  different  spaces  will  be  required, 
before  the  masses  can  be  filled  with  success.  In  connection  with  these 
problems  the  laws  of  growth  must  be  developed,  and  consideration  given 


to  the  forms  of  conventional  treatment  suitable  to  the  different  materials 
(wood,  textile,  leather,  metal)  which  present  themselves  for  decoration. 
The  range  of  school  work  is  completed  in  this  group.  Pupils  who 
can  successfully  solve  the  more  advanced  exercises  are  possessed  of 
principles  having  a  wide  range  of  application.  They  should  to  a  reason- 
able degree,  be  prepared  to  analyze  and  state  the  excellencies  and  defects 
of  any  pattern  placed  before  them.  This  power  is  well  worth  striving 
for,  be  the  possessor's  future  station  and  occupation  what  it  may. 

METHODS    IN    CLASSROOM    PRACTICE 

Essential  to  the  successful  development  of  any  given  problem  in  the 
classroom  is:  (i)  Adequate  preparation  by  the  teacher.  (2)  Appro- 
priate illustrative  material.  (3)  An  analysis  of  the  problem  by  the  pupil, 
followed  by  its  definite  statement  by  the  teacher.  (4)  Systematic  develop- 
ment of  the  steps  of  the  problem.  (5)  Critical  review  by  the  pupils. 

ADEQUATE    PREPARATION'    BY    THE    TEACHER 

Adequate  preparation  by  the  teacher  requires  that  he  consider  in 
detail  the  elements  of  the  problem  to  be  solved  by  his  pupils.  Upon  him 
rests  the  determination  of  the  propriety  of  the  design  in  question.  He 
must  satisfy  himself  that  the  model  to  be  decorated  will  have  its  beauty 

18 


FIG.     IO.       DECORATIVK    ELEMENTS    FROM    VARIOUS    PLANTS 


enhanced  by  the  proposed  decoration,  and  must  settle  upon  the  exact  type 
of  pattern  which  the  pupil  is  to  develop.  If  more  than  one  scheme  of 
decoration  presents  itself,  it  may  be  possible  for  him  to  have  part  of  his 
class  solve  the  problem  in  one  way,  while  another  part  develops  a  differ- 
ent arrangement.  As  a  rule  it  will  not  be  wise  to  attempt  more  than  two 
such  variations. 


*%y®  Q  € 


KIG.     II.       CONVENTIONAL    ELEMENTS    FROM     FLOWERS    AND    SEED-PODS 

Emphasis  is  to  be  laid  upon  the  preliminary  determination  of  the 
problem  by  the  teacher.  It  is  he  who  is  responsible  for  the  main  ele- 
ments of  the  pattern.  It  is  his  business  to  lead  his  pupils  to  make  de- 
signs which  are  good  in  arrangement,  and  original  only  so  far  as  his 
pupils  are  prepared  to  do  original  work.  He  should  solve  the  problem 
himself,  that  he  may  learn  the  most  satisfactory  arrangement  of  masses 
and  the  manner  in  which  they  may  be  best  developed.  So  doing  he 
will  have  revealed  to  him,  the  difficulties  his  class  will  experience — diffi- 
culties which  lie  in  those  steps  that  call  for  original  work.  In  the 


simplest  problems  such  difficulties  are  found  in  the  modification  of 
the  masses,  in  the  more  difficult,  they  involve  questions  as  to  the  size  and 
placing  of  the  masses,  their  development  and  conventional  treatment. 
Through  his  own  solution  the  teacher  is  prepared  to  prevent  egregious 
errors  of  performance  by  his  pupils. 


FLOWER    FORMS    CONVENTIONALIZED    AS    SIMPLE    MASS    ARRANGEMENTS 


ILLUSTRATIONS    OF    THE    PROBLEM 

What  is  termed  originally  in  design  is  largely  a  matter  of  recombina- 
tion. The  professional  designer  has  a  broad  background  of  experience 
and  has  recourse  to  examples  from  the  hands  of  other  artists.  The  child 
has  a  limited  experience  made  up  chiefly  of  recollections  of  bad  examples 
which  he  has  seen  at  home  or  in  the  shops.  It  is  essential,  therefore, 
that  many  well-chosen  illustrations  be  placed  before  him,  when  he  is 
called  upon  to  work  for  himself. 

Good  illustrations  are  essential  to  good  design.  They  not  only  offer 
technical  suggestions  but  they  establish  standards  of  performance  by 
which  the  child  can  judge  his  work.  Without  suitable  illustrations  he 


solves  his  problem  in  the  dark.  By  means  of  them  he  can  be  shown  ex- 
actly what  is  wanted. 

The  illustrative  matter  offered  should  take  three  forms — charts,  black- 
board drawings,  and  examples  of  pupils'  work.  In  the  lower  grades, 
the  charts  (made  on  good  sized  sheets  of  wrapping  paper)  should  show 
various  simple  arrangements  of  masses,  simply  divided.  They  may  be 
painted  with  ink  or  water-color,  or  drawn  with  colored  chalks.  In  the 
upper  grades,  a  variety  of  these  illustrative  sheets  will  prove  of  value. 
Some  should  offer  drawings  of  plant  forms  and  illustrations  of  growth 
and  the  details  of  flowers  and  leaves  (see  Fig.  10.)  ;  others  should  show 
conventional  elements  derived  from  such  plants.  (See  Fig.  n.)  Small 
hectographed  reproductions  of  flower  parts,  mass  arrangements,  etc.,  will 
also  prove  useful.  These  should  be  on  oak-tag  that  they  may  stand  the 
wear  and  tear  of  constant  handling  by  many  pupils.  (See  Fig.  12.) 

Still  other  charts,  made  by  mounting  illustrations  on  large  sheets  of 
cardboard,  will  be  of  service.  These  examples  should  be  taken  from  the 
work  of  professional  designers  in  art  magazines,  catalogues,  advertising 
circulars  and  the  like.  The  pupils  themselves  should  be  led  to  aid  in 
making  such  charts,  designs  being  solicited  from  them,  which  offer  good 
illustrations  of  mass  arrangements.  Not  only  is  the  search  for  these  of 
great  value  in  developing  the  taste,  but  as  they  show  the  practical  appli- 
cation of  the  principles  of  decoration,  they  cause  the  pupils  to  realize  the 
importance  of  their  study.  (See  Fig.  13.) 

Blackboard  illustration  should  be  constant  during  the  development  of 
any  problem.  Those  drawings  to  which  it  is  desirable  repeatedly  to  re- 
fer, should  be  made  with  colored  chalk  on  large  sheets  of  wrapping 
paper.  The  color  is  attractive,  and  the  drawings,  if  carefully  handled, 
may  be  saved  from  lesson  to  lesson.  This,  when  a  single  problem  in  de- 
sign carries  over  several  lessons  is  of  no  small  advantage. 

Perhaps  the  most  serviceable  of  all  aids  are  good  examples  of  pupils' 
work.  These  should  be  collected  from  term  to  term  until  the  teacher  has 
two  or  three  score  of  them.  They  may  readily  be  pinned  up  during  the 
development  of  any  lesson,  and  removed  when  actual  work  begins,  that 
mere  copying  may  be  prevented.  Later  they  may  again  be  displayed, 
that  the  work  of  the  class  as  a  whole  may  be  compared  with  the  best  re- 
sults previously  secured.  (See  Figs.  14  and  22.) 

ANALYSIS    AND    STATEMENT    OF    PROBLEM 

Before  the  pupils  take  the  first  step  in  the  development  of  any  design, 
it  should  be  studied  in  a  general  way.  The  pupils  should  be  interested 


HE-COWS 

S.NVFF-BOX 


CHART  AND  PAMPHLET  COVERS     MADE    BY    PROFESSIONAL    DESIGN  KRS 


in  the  problem  as  a  problem,  led  to  see  the  propriety  of  the  proposed 
decoration,  and  the  nature  of  its  service  as  an  aid  to  the  structure  and 
beauty  of  the  form  decorated.  The  steps  involved  should  be  next  con- 
sidered in  the  order  followed  by  the  teacher  in  his  own  study. 

The  class  should  first  be  led  to  discover  the  mass  or  masses  which 
will  best  serve  the  desired  purpose,  these  being  considered  in  the  light 


of  structure,  balance,  rhythm,  variety,  unity.  The  masses  decided  upon, 
the  pupils  should  next  consider  how  they  may  best  be  broken  up,  and 
if  conventional  matter  is  to  be  used,  the  particular  plant  or  flower  which 
is  best  suited  to  the  pattern.  In  the  light  of  such  study  they  should  be 
prepared  to  understand  exactly  what  the  lesson  includes,  and  to  solve  the 
problem  when  stated  to  them  in  definite  and  specific  form,  as — "  Make  a 
design  for  a  book-cover  measuring  5x9  inches,  the  design  to  consist  of 
the  word  '  Notes,'  and  a  square  decorative  unit  beneath  the  title,  etc." 

Much  advantage  lies  in  this  specific  statement.  By  it  the  problem 
is  taken  out  of  the  realm  of  the  abstract  and  is  made  concrete,  in  terms 
with  which  the  pupil  is  familiar.  The  professional  designer  always  has 
a  distinct  problem  before  him ;  the  beginner  should  see  his  own  work 
as  definite.  The  latter  should  never  be  directed  to  "make  a  design"  with- 
out being  completely  informed  as  to  the  nature  and  purpose  of  the  pat- 
tern.' Through  such  statement  he  learns  that  every  problem  can  be 
reduced  to  simple  and  definite  form,  and  learns,  too,  that  the  questions 
he  has  to  solve  are  identical  in  kind  with  those  of  the  practiced  designer. 

DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    PROBLEM 

It  was  pointed  out  that,  in  his  analysis  of  the  problem,  the  pupil  is 
to  be  led  to  discover  certain  steps  as  essential  to  the  solution.  These 
should  be  taken  up  seriatim. 

i .  The  planning  of  the  masses.  The  main  masses  should  be  de- 
cided on  with  careful  attention  to  the  structural  qualities  of  the  space 
decorated,  the  elements  planned  being  seen  to  confirm  structural  rela- 
tions. Simplicity  is  a  virtue  to  be  constantly  referred  to.  If  the  design 
is  at  all  a  complex  one,  careful  consideration  should  be  given  to  the 
various  spaces  created  in  the  background  of  the  pattern.  The  back- 
ground it  is  to  be  remembered  always  forms  a  part  of  the  design,  and 
should  receive  as  much  attention  as  the  decorative  elements  placed  up- 
on it. 

To  assist  the  pupil  to  realize  how  far  small  changes  in  the  mass  ar- 
rangement effect  the  design,  it  will  at  times  be  found  convenient  to  cut 
out  of  paper,  two  or  three  of  the  chief  elements  of  the  pattern.  These 
may  be  placed  on  the  space  to  be  decorated  and  moved  about  until  sat- 
isfactory relations  of  background  and  pattern  are  established.  If  the 
masses  thus  planned  are  not  right  in  size  or  shape,  others  may  be  made. 
When  the  best  arrangement  has  been  decided  upon,  a  pencil  may  be  run 
around  the  edges  of  the  paper  templates,  and  the  pupil  led  to  consider 
the  next  step  in  his  work. 


u 


I 


DRAWINGS 


KXAMl'l.ES     OF    PUPILS'    WURK — 5'FH    TO    8l"H    YEAR 


Some  cautions  are  to  be  noted  in  regard  to  the  planning  of  the  pat- 
tern. As  a  general  rule  the  design  should  not  crowd  the  edge  of  the 
space  decorated.  If  there  is  a  panel  within,  such  as  occurs  in  box-top 
or  similar  designs,  greater  color  unity  will  result  if  the  tone  of  the  panel 
is  repeated  in  a  narrow  mass  surrounding  the  entire  design.  (See  Fig. 
15.)  A  similar  margin  will  lend  to  the  effectiveness  of  nearly  all  patterns  ; 
its  value  lies  chiefly  in  the  fact  that  it  emphasizes  the  outline  and  so  lends 
to  the  structure  of  the  space  decorated. 


KIC.    15.       RACK-EM)    DESIGNKI)    liV   STH   YEAR 
PUPIL 


It  is  surprising  to  what  extent  strength  of  structure  may  be  altered 
by  lines  which  are  allowed  to  impinge  on  the  border  of  an  enclosing 
space.  Fig.  16  shows  a  rectangle  which  has  its  squareness  entirely  de- 
stroyed (in  a)  by  a  curve  which  draws  in  the  sides,  and  (in  b)  by  radial 
lines  which  contract  the  corners.  The  dotted  lines  show  the  direction  in 
which  the  sides  appear  distorted.  The  third  figure  (c)  has  had  the  square- 
ness of  the  form  strengthened  by  the  small  masses  which  support  the 
corners.  The  angles  of  this  and  similar  forms,  are  structurally  their  most 
important  elements. 

In  general  the  development  of  very  large  masses  is  to  be  deprecated, 
as  is  the  development  of  large  elements  connected  by  very  slender  straps. 
or  large  straps  connecting  masses  which  are  insignificant.  Also  to  be 
avoided  is  the  creation  of  strap  or  leaf-like  forms  which  do  not  follow  and 
support  the  lines  of  the  main  space,  but  introduce  a  number  of  curved 
lines,  which  draw  the  eye  out  of  the  enclosing  boundary.  Such  elements, 
common  enough  in  pupils'  designs,  destroy  the  strength  of  the  enclosing 
line  and  weaken  the  entire  pattern.  (See  Fig.  17  a.) 


Of  the  various  devices  for  expediting  class  work,  two  or  three  may 
be  mentioned.  The  first  looks  to  the  development  of  the  symmetrical 
halves  of  a  pattern  having  masses  with  subtlely  drawn  curves.  Such 
symmetry  may  be  secured  by  folding  the  paper  on  which  the  trial  draw- 
ing is  to  be  made,  and  indicating  the  general  outline  on  either  side  of 
the  fold.  After  the  main  masses  have  been  planned  and  very  carefully 
drawn  on  one  half  of  the  pattern,  the  latter  may  be  folded  on  the  inicl- 


FI<;.     l6.       STRUCTURE    OF    SQUARE    AS    AFFECTED    HY 


LINES    WITHIN     IT 


crease,  and  a  reproduction  of  the  mass  arrangement  made  by  rubbing. 
The  design  for  a  square  or  oblong  may  similiarly  be  made  by  creasing 
the  paper  at  right  angles  and  developing  one  quarter  of  the  pattern, 
which  may  be  transferred  by  rubbing  to  the  other  corners.  (See  Fig.  23.) 

Decorated  units,  especially  the  simple  forms  of  the  lower  grades, 
may  also  be  made  by  folding  and  cutting.  The  tablets  thus  devised  will 
serve  as  templates  and  may  be  traced  as  frequently  as  desired. 

2.  The  development  of  the  masses.  In  the  development  of  the  masses 
the  teacher  should  have  constant  recourse  to  the  blackboard,  the  pupils 
also  being  called  upon  to  illustrate  their  understanding  of  the  problem 
by  sketches  made  before  their  fellows. 

Particularly  should  the  advantage  of  a  growth  point  be  emphasized 
in  the  development  of  each  mass.  Radial  growth  it  will  be  well  to  have 
developed  from  a  definite  mass  and  not  from  a  mere  point.  The  latter 
lacks  the  strength  of  the  former.  (See  Fig.  18.)  The  necessity  of 
having  but  two  or  three  leading  lines,  and  of  securing  rhythm,  variety 
and  unity  in  the  forms  created  must  be  strongly  brought  to  the  attention 
of  the  pupils.* 

The  chief  cautions  to  be  observed  are,  the  avoidance  of  contrary 
motion  in  the  patterns,  the  avoidance  of  small  elements  and  of  explosive 

*See  article  on  Applied  Design,  Manual  Training  Magazine.  (Jet.  1905. 


movements  caused  by  too  many  radial  lines.  Also  to  be  deprecated 
are  the  weak  and  uncertain  lines,  adversely  criticized  in  a  foregoing  para- 
graph. The  pupils  must  learn  that  every  line  in  a  design  shonld  have  a 
definite  function  and  definite  movement,  and  that  no  "  feebly  flapping  " 
element,  born  of  a  line  which  does  not  know  where  it  is  going,  is  to  be 


FIG.     IJ.       POUR    DESIGNS    WITH    SUGGESTIONS     KOR    THEIR    CORRECTION 

tolerated.  When  the  young  designers  come  to  separate  the  minor 
elements,  one  from  another,  they  are  also  to  be  cautioned  not  to  open 
wide  spaces  between  them.  Should  they  do  so  the  strength  of  the 
original  masses  will  be  destroyed.  (See  Fig.  176.) 


At  this  stage  of  the  pattern  it  will  be  well  for  the  pupils  critically  to 
review  their  work.  The  best  of  the  examples  should  be  shown  and 
commended  for  excellencies  of  structure,  growth,  rhythm,  consistency 
of  elements,  etc. ;  the  poorer  should  also  be  examined  that  the  cause  of 
their  failure  may  be  determined.  After  such  review,  the  pupils  should 
be  required  to  refine  their  patterns,  making  commonplace  curves  more 
subtle,  perfecting  rhythms  and  strengthening  weak  points  in  structure. 


3.  Introduction  of  subject  matter.  Anything  like  a  thorough  study  of 
conventionalization  cannot  be  taken  up  in  the  elementary  school  nor  in 
the  high  school  unless  unusual  time  offers  for  its  teaching.  The  element- 
ary teacher  will,  therefore,  be  wise  if  he  attempts  to  secure  little  beyond 
the  individual  adaption  of  conventional  elements  to  the  masses  of  the 
pattern  already  devised.  The  elements  referred  to  should  be  offered  in 
the  form  of  charts.  The  source  of  the  various  forms  should  be  explain- 
ed, but  it  is  not  necessary,  nor  is  it  often  possible  for  the  pupil  to  develop 
elements  directly  from  natural  forms.  If  he  adapt  well  the  forms  offered 
him,  there  will  be  abundant  cause  for  congratulation. 

Before  the  worker  is  called  upon  to  use  such  conventional  elements, 
it  will  be  well  that  he  have  some  practice  in  shaping  them  to  various 
spaces.  This  practice  may  be  given  by  having  him  make  a  number  of 
units  with  brush  strokes,  using  the  motifs  offered  combined  in  various 
ways  to  make  flower  forms  resembling  those  shown  him  by  the  teacher. 
(See  Fig.  19.)  Some  little  practice  in  this  way  will  enable  him  to  make 
a  sheet  or  two  of  original  elements  very  similar  to  those  shown  on  the 
charts.  He  may  then  proceed  with  promises  of  success,  to  the  develop- 
ment  of  similiar  forms  in  the  masses  of  his  design. 

29 


In  adapting  the  subject  matter  to  his  pattern  the  pupil  should  be  re- 
minded to  suit  the  character  of  the  element  to  the  peculiar  nature  of  the 
design  in  hand.  The  more  rigid  and  formal  the  pattern,  the  more  formal 
should  be  the  conventionalized  material.  This  desired  formality  can  be 
secured  by  the  use  of  right  lines  and  square  angles  in  the  place  of  curves 
and  rounded  forms.  (See  Fig.  15.) 


1%  t  4  > 


FIG.     19.       PRACTICE    UNITS    MADE    WITH     BRUSH 

The  devices  used  by  skilled  workers  to  simplify  patterns  containing 
subject  matter,  can  only  be  learned  by  a  study  of  a  large  number  of  pro- 
fessional designs.  Two,  however,  may  be  mentioned  as  particularly  help- 
ful. The  first  is  the  agglutination  of  details  which  overlap  or  impinge 
upon  one  another.  (See  Fig.  20.)  This  produces  what  is  virtually  a 
motif  in  silhouette.  The  second  is  the  surrounding  by  a  strong  outline, 
of  those  particular  masses  which  play  an  important  part  in  the  rhythm  ol 
the  pattern.  (See  Fig.  21.)  When  circumspectly  applied,  this  outline 
will  materially  strengthen  a  confused  and  unsatisfactory  design. 


SYMBOLISM 

The  use  of  motifs  particularly  related  to  the  form  decorated,  or  to  the 
designers  themselves,  is  to  be  commended.     This  gives  to  the  subject  mat- 


FIG.    2O.       AGGLUTINATION    OF    ELEMENTS    OF    SUBJECT    MATTER 

FIG.    21.        PATTERN    SHOWING    USE    OF    FINE    LINES    FOR    DETAILS    AND    STRONG 
LINES    FOR    MASSES 

ter  a  symbolic  significance  Such  practice,  will  for  example  employ  Indian 
motifs  in  a  design  for  a  note-book  on  Indian  life  and  legends,  or  loaves 
and  fishes  for  a  collection  of  receipts  made  in  the  school  kitchen.  The 
wide  application  of  symbolism  cannot  be  discussed  here,  but  class  teach- 
ers will  find  it  lends  an  added  interest  to  all  work  in  which  it  enters.  It 

31 


contains  the  hint  of  hidden  meaning,  and  the  suggestion  of  the  personal 
— very  attractive  to  the  youthful  worker.  Symbolic  elements  associated 
with  the  school  may  be  devised  and  adapted  to  this  end.  These  may  in- 
clude the  school  flower,  the  school  pin,  banner  or  favorite  tree.  For  the 
most  part,  the  skilled  utilization  of  this  material  must  be  left  to  the  older 
pupils. 

TRACING 

When  the  design  has  been  completed  by  repeated  correction,  it  will 
have  to  be  traced  upon  the  form  to  which  it  is  to  be  applied.  Various 
devices  offer  here.  If  it  has  been  made  with  a  moderately  soft  pencil 
and  presents  sharp  clear  outlines,  a  satisfactory  rubbing  may  often  be  made 
upon  paper,  wood,  or  any  light  colored  and  smooth  surface.  If  this  is 
impossible,  the  black  may  be  blackened  with  a  soft  pencil,  and  the  tracing 
made  with  a  hard  sharp-pointed  one,  or  tracing  paper  may  be  used  as  pur- 
chased, or  as  manufactured  of  thin  wrapping  paper  which  has  been  given 
a  coat  of  stove  polish.  The  latter  paper  is  easily  prepared,  costs  but  a 
trifle,  and  forms  a  satisfactory  subistute  for  the  commercial  article. 

CLASS    CRITICISM 

During  the  development  of  any  pattern  the  pupils  shonld  be  re- 
peatedly called  upon  to  criticise  their  work.  So  far  as  possible,  this 
should  be  a  class  exercise,  the  examples  being  placed  where  all  may  see 
them.  It  is  important  that  this  critical  review  be  undertaken  :  first  after 
the  masses  have  been  developed,  and  again  after  the  subject  matter  has 
been  introduced. 

The  steps  of  the  criticism  should  be  systematic,  the  pupils  being 
called  upon  to  examine  the  work  from  the  standpoint  of  structure,  bal- 
ance, rhythm,  variety  and  unity.  It  is  not  enough  for  those  who  criticise 
to  say  that  they  do  not  like  this  or  that  element  in  the  design.  They 
should  state  their  reasons,  and  indicate  the  principles  that  have  been 
violated  and  the  manner  in  which  the  correction  is  to  be  effected.  They 
should,  in  other  words,  criticise  in  terms  of  design. 

It  is  impossible  to  note  all  the  forms  of  error  which  may  be  present 
in  the  work  of  a  class,  but  two  or  three  examples  may  be  suggestive  as 
to  types  of  mistakes  and  their  correction. 

Fig.  17  a  shows  a  decorated  unit  designed  for  a  book-cover.  This  is 
poor  in  structure,  its  outline  weakening  the  enclosing  oblong.  It  is  far 
too  large  a  unit,  and  the  title  which  it  presents  appears  relatively  unim 
portant. 


Xo  minor  change  can  make 
this  into  a  satisfactory  form. 
Correction  may  perhaps  best 
be  effected  (see  b)  by  reduc- 
ing the  size  of  the  unit,  by 
strengthening  the  boundary 
line  (developing  it  as  one 
smooth  flowing  curve),  drop- 
ping the  lowermost  element  al- 
together (fusing  it  with  the 
bounding  mass),  rhythmically 
relating  the  space  with  the  init- 
ials to  the  nearby  elements,  and 
simplifying  the  smaller  masses 
s  h  o  w  n  above.  Finally,  the 
word  "  Notes  "  may  be  made 
to  play  a  definite  and  import- 
ant part  in  the  design.  Thus 
while  the  original  idea  has  been 
retained  the  design  as  a  design 
is  improved.  The  improve- 
ment, however,  has  necessi- 
tated complete  redrawing. 

Fig.  17  c  shows  a  design 
which  requires  less  change. 
The  mass  arrangement  is  here 
well  placed  but  too  large  and 
uncertain  in  its  inner  line,  the 
enclosing  panel  being  poor  in 
shape.  The  latter  is  also  weak- 
ened by  the  hanging  unit  above, 
which  is  not  well  related  to  the 
general  mass. 

Correction  is  to  be  effected 
(see  d)  by  reducing  the  size  of 
the  mass,  strengthening  the  in- 

,.     •   ,         ,    •,   ,  FIG.  22.   BORDERS  FOR  PIANO  COVERS,  DE- 

ner  line  into  one  decided  move-  SIGNED  BY  STH  YEAR  pupILS 

ment  and  simplifying  the  panel 

by  the  inclusion  of  the  hanging  unit  in  the  mass  of  the  pattern. 

Fig.  176  shows  a  pattern  in  which  the  mass  arrangement  has  been 


33 


well  planned,  but  one  in  which  the  pupil  has  failed  to  develop  the  details 
properly.  The  minor  elements  have  the  appearance  of  being  simply 
drawn  over  the  original  mass  and  not  developed  by  tenative  lines  of 
division.  Rhythm  is  lacking  in  the  elements  and  contrary  movements 
appear :  there  are  too  many  small  parts  and  growth  is  not  well  main- 


KIC.    23.       A    COMMUNAL    EXERCISE  -  PIANO    COVER    DE- 
SIGNED   HY    A    GROUP    OF    S'l'I-I    YKAR     PUPILS. 


tained.  The  separate  elements  are  also  so  far  apart  that  they  have  a 
scattered  appearance.  Variety  has  been  secured,  but  improperly  secured 
at  the  expense  of  unity. 

This  design  is  to  be  corrected  (see  f)  by  uniting  the  smaller  elements 
with  the  larger,  by  reducing  their  number  and  establishing  a  definite 
movement  of  growth  from  the  ends  of  the  lower  strap  of  the  pattern. 
The  original  mass  arrangement  is  left  unchanged,  but  the  minor  elements 
are  welded  and  have  the  lines  between  them  refined  in  curvature.  This 
form  of  error  will  be  apt  to  appear  in  any  case  where  a  class  teacher  has 
carefully  supervised  the  planning  of  the  decorative  mass,  but  has  not  led 
his  pupils  by  definite  steps  to  its  development. 

SUMMARY 

In  the  foregoing  discussion  two  general  principles  appear  as  essent- 
ial to  the  success  of  the  teacher  who  essays  to  teach  design,  the  first  that, 
he  know  exactly  what  he  wants  to  do,  the  second,  that  he  bring  his  pupils 
to  know  what  he  wishes  them  to  do.  The  one  requires  analysis  of  every 
pattern  before  it  is  presented,  the  other  can  be  insured  by  developing 
each  problem  step  by  step,  remembering  always  the  abiding  merit  of  good 

.34 


example.  So  led,  the  pupil  can  be  made  to  assume  greater  responsibility 
in  each  new  les'son.  If  at  any  time  he  fails  to  do  right,  it  will  be,  nine 
cases  in  ten,  because  he  does  not  know  what  is  right. 

Some  may  be  prepared  to  cavil  at  so  slow  procedure  along  the  path 
which  leads  to  the  doing  of  original  work  without  let  or  hindrance,  but 
the  advantage  of  the  method  appears  when  a  class  so  instructed  is  re- 
quired to  devise,  unaided,  decorations  for  forms  which  are  new  to  them. 
It  should  be  the  practice  to  give  such  "  test  problems  ''  from  time  to  time, 
to  the  more  advanced  pupils.  The  results  secured  should  be  criticized  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  other  class-work.  Experience  has  shown  that 
when  these  tests  are  given  to  pupils  taught  as  suggested,  they  reveal  a 
power  to  devise  commendable  decorations,  far  in  advance  of  pupils  in- 
structed on  "free"  lines.  After  all,  the  proof  of  every  pudding  lies  in  its 
eating. 


35 


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